Oil tank cleaning device



Sept. 1, 1931. P. M. ERDMAN OIL TANK CLEANING DEVICE Filed March 17,1930 INVENTOR PETER MERDMAM ATTORN EY Patented. Sept. 1, 1931 entreestares PATENT? OFFICE" OIL TANK CLEANING DEVICE Application filed March17, 1939. Serial No. 436,477.

' device whereby the entire area of the tank bottom is cleaned at onetime; third, to provide a tank cleaning device which may beused'whenevcr desired for cleaning the tank, and without regard to thequantity of fluid contained in the tank; fourth, to provide a tankcleaning device which may be readily installed, one which is simple andeconomical of construction, durable, and will not readily deteriorate orget out of order.

Vith these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, myinvention consists of certain novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will behereinafter described in detail and aarticularly set forth in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and tothe characters of reference thereon which forms a part of myapplication, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of my device, in one form, positioned in a tankfor use; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my device as shown in Fig. 1,showing the tank in section; and, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modifiedform of my device. 1

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the views of the drawings.

My tank cleaning device consists in one form, as shown in Figs. land 2,of several pipes 1, provided with multiplicities of openings, supports 2for supporting the pipes, a union 3, a reducer 4, and elbow meansconnecting the device through the tank 5 to a suction pipe 6.

The pipes l are supported above and on the bottom of the tank 5 by meansof the supports 2. These pipes are so arranged that they formsubstantially a network over the bottom of a tank which is to be cleanedof sediment or other foreign matter. In Figs. 1 and 2, there are showntwo pipes 1 which are joined at their discharge ends to a short pipesection 7 which forms with the pipes 1 a Y. The pipes 1 are providedwith a number of openings 1a, 1b and 10 at the outer end andintermediate the ends of the pipes, said openings being in the form ofdownwardly directed pipe sections from the pip-es 1 and spaced withtheir lower ends from the bottom of the tank. In this instance, assumingthe pipes 1 to be three inches in diameter, the openings 1a at and nearthe outer ends of the pipes 1 are preferably three inches in diameter;the openings 1?) intermediate the ends of the pipes l are two inches indiameter; and the openingslc at the inner ends of the pipes 1, or otherconvenient place, are one inch in diameter. It will be noted that thelarger open-' ings, as shown, are further from the outlet or suctionpipe 6 than are the smaller openings, thus creating substantially equalsuction at all the inlet openings, making it p0ssible to draw thesediment or other foreign matter through all of the openings, therebycleaning the entire bottom of the tank. The

.pipe section 7 is connected by the union 3 to the reducer at which isconnected to an elbow 8 directed with its other end through the bottomof the tank and connected to an elbow 9 which is connected to thesuction pipe 6. The inner or discharge ends of the pipes are thussupported from the bottom of'the tank by the elbow 8, while the extendedends are supported by the supports 2.

Similar supports 2 may be provided intermediate these points of support.The supports 2 may consist of cross members provided at the endsprovided with downwardly extending legs resting on the bottom of thetank, thus providing a support offering aslittle resistance to the inletopenings for the sedimentor other foreign matter "as possible. Thecross' members of the supports are secured 1n any suitable manner to thepipes.

The suction pipe 6 is connected to a suitable pump, not shown, thedischarge from the tank being controlled by aValve 10.

In oil storage tanks, the sediment in the oil, as well as water andother foreign matters, settles to the bottom. It has been customaryheretofore to remove such sediment and other foreign matter by firstremoving the oil from the top of the tank and leaving such sediment andother foreign matter, and thenaiterwards removing the latter,necessitating always the emptying of the tank. \Vith my device thesediment andother foreign matter is removed from the bottom of the tankwhile the oil is retained therein, and without materially disturbing thecontents therein.

In the modified form of my device, as shown in Fig. 3, I have shown amain or central pipe 11 from which extend angularly to the oppositesides pipe sections 12 and 13.

The end of the pipe 11 and the ends of the pipe sections 12 and 13 areprovided with supports 2 for supporting the same from the bottom of thetank. At the end of the pipe 11 and the ends of the pipe sections 12 areopenings of equal diameter. At the ends of the pipe sections 1 3 and atthe intersections of the sections 12 with the pipe 11 are other openingsof smaller diameter; and at the intersection of the pipe sections 13with the pipe 11 is an opening of still smaller diameter. lVith thismodified form of construction, there is provided a device in which thesuction openings are more uniformly distributed over the bottom of thetank.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combinationand arrangement of parts and portions, and a certain modificationthereof, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction,combination and arrangement, nor to the modification, but desire toinclude in the scope of my invention the construction, combination andarrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let-- ters Patent is:

1. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a tank, aplurality of pipes positioned slightly above the bottom of said tank,and means for supporting said pipes in said position, said pipes beingprovided with a multiplicity of openings along their lower side, saidopenings being smaller near the outlet than at the extremities of saidpipes.

2. In a tank cleaning device, the combination with a tank, of aplurality of pipes connected to a common outlet, said pipes having amultiplicity of openings along their lower sides, said openings beingsmaller near the outlet than at the extremities of said pipes.

3. In a tank cleaning device, the combibeing supported a slight distancefrom the bottom of said tank and having openings, of various sizes,positioned along their lower sides at various distances from the outletin a manner that the entire area of the tank bottom will be subject tosuction from the pipes and be cleaned, the openings near the outletbeing smaller than those farthest from the outlet.

4. In a tank cleaning device, the combination with a tank, of aplurality of pipes connected to a common outlet, said pipes beingsupported a slight distance from the bottom of said tank and havingopenings, of various sizes, positioned along their lower sides in amanner that the entire area of the bottom of the tank will be subject tosuction from the pipes and be cleaned, said openings being larger at theextremities of the pipes than at the outlet ends thereof.

5. In a tank cleaning device, the combination with a tank, of aplurality of conductors connected to a common outlet, said conductorshaving a multiplicity of openings along their lowersides, the openingsnear the outlet being smaller than those farthest from the outlet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand at Los Angeles,California, this 6th day of March, 1930.

PETER M. ERDMAN.

